Elizabeth,
Yes, we should never assume what eductional level students may have. This is why I typically ask students to complete a short survey (even if it has 2-3 questions) at the beginning of the course to help determine their level.
For example, if you were teaching an online course based on Microsoft Excel, you may ask students to rate themselves as a beginner, intermediate learner or expert in Excel. Or you may give a pre-test with Excel questions/forumlas to guage their beginning point in learning.
Thanks!
